Mozart's Magic Flute has two passages reminiscent of a bird's song. As does La Gata Lardaposted by seawallrunner at 4:11 PM on April 6, 2005

The bird parts of Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev.posted by Soliloquy at 4:18 PM on April 6, 2005

Messiaen deliberately evokes birdsong in some of his music, for example the Quartet for the End of Time. The first movement Liturgy of crystal has violin and clarinet explicitly imitating birdsong. The third movement, Abyss of the birds, is also quite birdlike, although somewhat less figurative. It's also one of my favourite clarinet pieces ever.

The bell birds of New Zealand have a call that sounds exactly like some Beethoven, but I never could pin down exactly which piece.posted by Nelson at 4:33 PM on April 6, 2005

Many of the works of Olivier Messaien, although that may be a little more literal than you'd like.

I once saw a documentary which convincingly alleged that the famous melody in Beethoven's 5th mirrors the song of a bird species that frequented his area at the time.posted by goethean at 5:07 PM on April 6, 2005

Respighi's Pines of Rome.posted by Wolfdog at 5:57 PM on April 6, 2005

I went looking for a link about Albert Ketelby's "In a Monastery Garden," which is about three-quarters bird twitters and is a hoot (as it were) and looky here's two more: Delius's "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" and Vaughan Williams' (very beautiful) "The Lark Ascending"posted by jfuller at 5:59 PM on April 6, 2005

The second movement of Beethoven's 6th contains some very clear, explicit birdsongs. Especially the last minute or so.posted by agropyron at 6:09 PM on April 6, 2005

The Gamelan music of Indonesia has been compared to birdsong, and one track off this album even has a translated title of "Starlings Kissing."posted by jtron at 6:51 PM on April 6, 2005

The opening bars of the third movement of Dvorak's String Quartet No. 12 ("American") is based on a birdsong that he heard while visiting Spillville, Iowa.posted by tepidmonkey at 10:11 PM on April 6, 2005

"Like Cockatoos" by The Cure is a classic.posted by at 10:34 PM on April 6, 2005

It’s not quite what you’re asking for, but Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus is a ‘Concerto for Birds and Orchestra,’ in which the band is accompanied by pre-recorded bird-noises. There’s a pretty good recording of it on the budget Naxos label.posted by misteraitch at 11:12 PM on April 6, 2005

Heinrich Ignatz Franz von Biber's delightful Sonata Representativa ('Representatio Avium'), for solo violin, imitates the song of the nightingale, the cuckoo, the hen and the quail.posted by verstegan at 2:28 AM on April 7, 2005

Resphigi wrote a suite for orchestra, Gli Ucelli (the birds), which has some very good imitations of birdsong.

As wolfdog says, he also wrote both instrumental birdsongs and called for an actual recording of a nightingale in The Pines of Rome.

Shakespeare's "Love's Labors Lost" closes with the song "When dasies pied," containing the lines "Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear." This has been set to music many times. ("Cockoo" sounds like "cuckold.")posted by KRS at 11:14 AM on April 7, 2005

Oh, yes, and let's not forget that great classic "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing (Tweet, Tweet, Tweet, Tweet, Tweet)."posted by KRS at 11:57 AM on April 7, 2005

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